Back to Work

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Back to Work episodes

August 19, 2014Episode 183: Remember Who Has the Cannon
TOPIC: Wait, what'd I DO?!?
This week, Dan and Merlin talk about anger, misunderstandings, and trying to do the right thing. How bewildering (and emotional) it can be to feel misunderstood—as well as trying to better understand what we may have done wrong.
Emotions are armor-piercing bullets.
Links for this episode:
David Letterman airs Robin Williams tribute | PopWatch | EW.com
Letterman gave us a glimpse of just how electric Williams’ late night appearances were with a compilation video of his times on the show. The video features some of Williams’ trademark physical, over-the-top comedy, but it also focuses on Williams’ laughter, how he threw his head back and guffawed.
Going Deep With David Rees | National Geographic Channel
Thought Stopping: Why it doesn't work, and what works better.
"Treat Worry like a Heckler, not a Mugger"
All About Change
"What, when I do it, will lead to my long-term well-being and happiness?"
Matthieu Ricard: The habits of happiness | Talk Video | TED.com
What is happiness, and how can we all get some? Biochemist turned Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard says we can train our minds in habits of well-being, to generate a true sense of serenity and fulfillment.
Showbot
Listener-submitted titles for this episode.
5by5 | The Incomparable #207: I Am Groot
Lane Splitting is Legal in California
Defensive driving - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mett? - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This episode was sponsored by our friends at lynda.com (Start learning something new by visiting lynda.com/backtowork and get a free 7-day trial where you can access all of their 2,400+ courses), Harry's (Get a better more affordable shave by using the code COMICS and you'll get $5 off your first purchase), and Varonis DatAnywhere (Try turning your own network shares into a private cloud free for 30 days with an unlimited amount of users and if you visit varonis.com/backtowork you get 5 users free forever).
1 hr 31 min
August 12, 2014Episode 182: Non-Canonical Suspenders
TOPIC: Thinking, Thinking, Thinking.
This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the inextricable links between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. They also take some time to fondly remember Robin Williams.
Links for this episode:
BIOGRAPHY: Robin Williams Lifetime
Williams was bullied badly during childhood for being chubby and would often spend much of his time playing alone in the family's large home to avoid his tormentors. Eventually, he conquered his overweight label though by joining the wrestling and tracks teams, and realised he could make the other children laugh as a way of gaining respect from them.
Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life: Steve Martin: 9781416553656: Amazon.com: Books
Chris Evans (actor) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Christopher Robert "Chris" Evans (born June 13, 1981)[1] is an American actor and film director. Evans is best known for his superhero roles as Johnny Storm / Human Torch in Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
[VIDEO] Craig Ferguson and Robin Williams Interview
ThereIsHelp - Mefi Wiki
Remembering Robin Williams | Best Of MetaFilter
Among many stories and reminiscences, some members recall their IRL experiences with Robin Williams, "mensch, great talent... genuine soul"
‘Captain America’ Star Chris Evans is Ready to Leave the Marvel Universe
For A More Ordered Life, Organize Like A Chef : The Salt : NPR
This week's episode of Back to Work is kindly sponsored by Squarespace (10% off with offer code, "ITSYOURSHOW").
1 hr 28 min
August 06, 2014Episode 181: A Broom Pusher for Johnny Carson
While Merlin takes a short sabbatical, Dan is joined by special guest David Sparks to talk about presentations, making your thing, balancing acts, iBooks author, paying for your kids' school with side projects, old man glasses, and more.
Links for this episode:
5by5 | Mac Power Users
Learn about getting the most from your Apple technology with focused topics and workflow guests. Creating Mac Power Users, one geek at a time since 2009.Hosted by David Sparks and Katie Floyd.
MacSparky
THE WAKE #1 | Vertigo
Presentations — MacSparky
Mind map - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A mind map is a diagram used to visually organise information. A mind map is often created around a single concept, drawn as an image in the center of a blank landscape page, to which associated representations of ideas such as images, words and parts of words are added. Major ideas are connected directly to the central concept, and other ideas branch out from those.Mind maps can be drawn by hand, either as "rough notes" during a lecture, meeting or planning session, for example, or as higher quality pictures when more time is available.
Dragon Dictate for Mac - Dragon Dictate speech recognition for the Mac - Nuance | Nuance
David Sparks (MacSparky) on Twitter
Sponsored by lynda (Learn something new by visiting lynda.com/backtowork and get a 7-day free trial where you can access to over all of their 2,400 courses), Warby Parker (visit warbyparker.com/dan to get FREE 3-day shipping on your order of boutique-quality, classically crafted eyewear at a great price), and Smile (Start editing your PDFs the easy way with PDFpen from the great people over at Smile Software).
1 hr 8 min
July 22, 2014Episode 180: Deus Ex Machina for Your Gut
TOPIC: Stupid can't stick to me.
This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the distinction between being against something vs. not having an opinion about it vs. just choosing not to let the world stick to you.
Links for this episode:
Marked 2 - Smarter tools for smarter writers
Marked is a previewer for Markdown files. Use it with your favorite text editor and it updates every time you save. With robust features for previewing, reviewing and exporting beautiful documents, you can work in plain text while reveling in rich formatting.
Presentations — MacSparky
Most presentations are terrible. That, however, does not need to be the case for your presentations. Author David Sparks, a trial attorney and seasoned technology speaker, explains how to create your own exceptional presentation. This Presentation Field Guide explains how to plan a presentation that will connect with your audience, the technical wizardry to create a stunning presentation, and walks you through presentation day to make sure it goes off without a hitch.
The elegant art of not giving a shit
Giving a shit does not necessarily mean you’re doing anything useful, but it makes it seem like you are. It feels like there’s some kind of justice that you’re getting closer to with every moment you give a shit. But that’s not true, because giving a shit, by itself, is only thinking — and thinking has little use aside from figuring out what to do.
Keyboard Shortcuts
A floating panel with a shortcut cheat sheet is available from the Help menu, or by pressing ??K.
The Flop House
Home Page - Television Tropes & Idioms
Inconsolata
Inconsolata is my first serious original font release. It is a monospace font, designed for code listings and the like, in print. There are a great many "programmer fonts," designed primarily for use on the screen, but in most cases do not have the attention to detail for high resolution rendering.
Technical Difficulties - 077 - Learning Vim with Potatowire
Potatowire finally leaves the crib, joining Gabe and Erik to discuss command-line text editing with vim. We learn how he started, why he uses a forty-year old text editor, and some cool things you can do when your hands never have to leave the keyboard.
Pale Man - Villains Wiki - villains, bad guys, comic books, anime
The Pale Man is a secondary villain from Guillermo del Toro's 2006 fantasy film Pan's Labyrinth. He was played by Doug Jones (who also portrayed the faun).
5by5
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The Exorcist (1973)
5by5 | Hypercritical #12: Nothing Is So Perfect
John Siracusa and Dan Benjamin turn a critical eye towards last week's episode on criticism, then try to pick the single biggest challenge facing three different wildly successful companies: Google, Facebook, and yes…Pixar.
The Flop House: Episode #34 – Mirrors The Flop House
We watch Kiefer Sutherland in Mirrors. We mean the movie– we didn’t break into his bathroom or anything. Meanwhile, Elliott pitches a crypt keeper movie, Dan inadvertently casts Dean Martin in his greatest role ever, and Stuart has a little problem comprehending the film’s ending.
Episode #150 – Grudge Match The Flop House
We talk about Grudge Match, the movie that pretends DeNiro has a chance against steroidal Stallone. Meanwhile Dan discusses Kevin Hart’s need to do only Kevin-branded movies, Elliott uncovers Sean Connery’s strange belief he’s in every movie, and one of Stu’s relatives makes an unexpected appearance.
5by5 | Mac Power Users #204: Presentations: A MacSparky Field Guide
Showbot
5by5 | Back to Work #3: The Second Arrow
Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss ADD, Buddhism, mindfulness, concentration, and insight.
Remembering Actress Mercedes McCambridge : NPR
McCambridge died March 2 at the age of 87. McCambridge chilled audiences in the 1970s as the voice of the Devil in The Exorcist. She won an Academy Award for her first film role — in 1949 for All the King's Men. She also starred with Joan Crawford in Nicholas Ray's western, Johnny Guitar.
Put You In A Better Mood.
This week's episode of Back to Work is kindly sponsored by:
Presentations — MacSparky - David Spark's new iBook on becoming a better presenter.
MailChimp - Send up to 12,000 emails per month for free.
1 hr 11 min
July 15, 2014Episode 179: 7 Most Important Breasts for Your Re-Fi
TOPIC: A Personal History of Personal Publishing
This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the constantly-changing landscape of online publishing. How we got from home pages to blogs to social media and beyond. Things move around, things get shorter (or longer), and things get super-weird and unpredictable.
How do you decide where your stuff goes and who do you expect it to reach in this whackadoodle environment?
You won't believe what happens next!
Links for this episode:
Ep. 117: "Put on the Carrot Hat" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin Mann
The Problem: John’s Siri just speaks to him in Welsh.
Chrome Web Store - Library Extension
Nerd Merit Badges - 02: Inbox Zero
You’ve reached an empty email inbox. For extra credit, you maintain an empty inbox from Monday through Friday!
Doomed to Repeat It — The Message — Medium
There’s always some big deal in email—in 2013 it was Mailbox, an app that made it easy to sort and process email. There was a long waiting list for people who wanted to download and use the software. It was like the cronut of apps. Later, Mailbox was acquired by Dropbox for about $100 million. People stopped talking about it after that.
YANSS Podcast 027 – The New Science Communicators with Joe Hanson « You Are Not So Smart
I recently collaborated with Joe Hanson of the YouTube channel It’s Okay to be Smart and helped him write an episode about pattern recognition.
5by5 | CMD+Space #103: Everything in Moderation, with Matt Haughey
This week Myke is joined by Matt Haughey. They talk about Metafliter's past, it's troubles with advertising, accidental crowd-funding and the site's future.
I Never MetaFilter I Didn't Like with Matt Haughey (Episode 78) — The New Disruptors
Matt Haughey founded MetaFilter, a well-moderated forum for discussions about interesting things that expanded to also answer questions. At just a few months over 15 years old, it's a veterans of many Internet lifecycles. In the last couple of years, however, MetaFilter began to face an existential challenge, which we'll talk about in this episode, along with its history, nature, and future.
Title Recess - Because names are what we call things
While the "Global Internet" has been a bonanza for tiny camera marketers and penis cream pitchmen, there's been precious little opportunity to create and share fake titles for Guided by Voices songs. That is why we now present TitleRecess.com.
Please note that we also have a small but very real side interest in fake Dickens characters, fake Goth names, and fake terrible names for dot-coms.
kung fu grippe | weblog by merlin mann
Merlin's Kottke-inspired blog, circa 2003.
Showbot
Listener-suggested titles for this episode.
Blogger Lunch (January, 2005) Damn. This... | kung fu grippe
43f Podcast: John Gruber & Merlin Mann's Blogging Panel at SxSW | 43 Folders
SxSW ’09 - Gruber & Mann - HOWTO: 149 Surprising Ways to Turbocharge Your Blog With Credibility!
My pal, John Gruber (from daringfireball.net), and I presented a talk at South by Southwest Interactive on Saturday, March 14th. We talked about building a blog you can be proud of, trying to improve the quality of your work, reaching the people you admire, and maybe even making a buck (in a way that doesn’t blow your deal). Here’s what we had to say:
Daring Fireball: The Talk Show: Ep. 86: ‘Free Alcoholic Beverages’, With Dave Wiskus
Topics include Samsung getting pinched from Apple on the high end and Xiaomi (at least in China) on the low end, Android and the importance of software differentiation, wearable devices, and more.
Diesel Sweeties Store: Music & Pixel T-Shirts & Socks - "F*ck This." Ice Scraper
Twitter / Search - justin follow me
On Chasing the Right "Zero" | kung fu grippe
Put to best use, Inbox Zero is merely a philosophical practice of learning to be parsimonious about which and how many inputs we allow into our lives—and, then, to responsibly but mindfully tend to those inputs in a way that is never allowed to hinder our personal commitment to doing the work that really matters to us.
Once you’ve dedicated yourself to making the things you love, every inbox can and should become a well-monitored servant rather than a merciless master.
Algonquin Round Table - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Algonquin Round Table was a celebrated group of New York City writers, critics, actors and wits. Gathering initially as part of a practical joke, members of "The Vicious Circle", as they dubbed themselves, met for lunch each day at the Algonquin Hotel from 1919 until roughly 1929. At these luncheons they engaged in wisecracks, wordplay and witticisms that, through the newspaper columns of Round Table members, were disseminated across the country.
Shirky: Power Laws, Weblogs, and Inequality
We are all so used to bell curve distributions that power law distributions can seem odd. The shape of Figure
Ouroboros - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail.
This week's episode of Back to Work is kindly sponsored by Lynda.com (7-day free trial!)
1 hr 17 min
July 08, 2014Episode 178: Fake Laminated Bull Poop
TOPIC: Yes. Yes.
This week, Dan and Merlin follow-up on their recent 5by5 at the Movies episode about Glengarry Glen Ross, talking more about sales culture, media consumption, how our personal data gets used to close us, and why Dan admires Ricky Roma.
Or, Tony Roma, as you call him.
Links for this episode:
5by5 | 5by5 at the Movies #3: A Slight Burglary: Glengarry Glen Ross
Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin talk about Glengarry Glen Ross.
A Slight Burglary: Glengarry Glen Ross on Huffduffer
See You at the Top: Zig Ziglar: 9789971643096: Amazon.com: Books
Naked Consumer: How Our Private Lives Become Public Commodities: Erik Larson: 9780140233032: Amazon.com: Books
round tuit - Wiktionary
A circular object giving its owner the ability to get done everything that would have otherwise been put off to a later date.
'Original' Round Tuit! - Round Tuit gifts - Round Tuit Coins - Round Toit Origins - Round Tuit History
Showbot
Watch Planet Hulk Online | Netflix
When Earth's superheroes exile the volatile Incredible Hulk to a distant planet called Sakaar, the muscle-bound green monster is sold into slavery.
Twitter / URFLAW_derek: @Hotdogsladies & @danbenjamin ...
@Hotdogsladies & @danbenjamin - glengarry leads = femininity/object of desire (coloring in film & ornamentation).
On Social Media, Some Are Susceptible to Internet Outrage - NYTimes.com
But Internet outrage often says more about the commenter than the cause, and its deployment may do more harm than good, to the instigator and the issue.
The Naked Consumer « Erik Larson : Best-selling Author of In the Garden of Beasts
After receiving a sudden surge of junk mail directed at new parents—even though my wife at the time was merely pregnant—I set out to explore the lengths companies go to spy on individual consumers. It was fascinating, and a little scary. For example, I discovered one market-research firm that put human spies in stores to follow every move a shopper made, and another company that secretly commandeered viewers’ televisions to show them commercials no one else got to see.
The naked consumer : how our private lives become public commodities (Book, 1992) [WorldCat.org]
Tony Roma’s Steakhouse Restaurant With Seafood, Ribs & More
“She looks so pregnant!” - an album on Flickr
A celebration of Celebrity Baby Pr0n
5by5 | 5by5 at the Movies #1: Goodfellas
Dan Benjamin and John Siracusa discuss Goodfellas.
Avengers (comics) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The first adventure featured the Asgardian god Loki seeking revenge against his brother Thor. Using an illusion, Loki tricked the Hulk into destroying a railroad track.
Watch The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Online | Netflix
The Avengers -- Thor, Ant-Man, Hulk, Iron Man and other heroes -- are ready to save the day from villains such as Loki, HYDRA and the Red Skull.
The Incredible Hulk: Grey Hulk aka Joe Fixit
This incarnation can lift approximately 75 tons. This incarnation does possess the "madder he gets, the stronger he gets" ability but at a much slower rate since this incarnation has some level of intelligence and reasoning and would not "lose control" as easy as the Savage Hulk incarnation.
This week's episode of Back to Work is kindly sponsored by Squarespace (10% off with offer code, "ITSYOURSHOW").
1 hr 20 min
July 01, 2014Episode 177: Motivation Has Pit Stains
TOPIC: Motivation
This week, Dan and Merlin talk about their upcoming 5by5 at the Movies episode on Glengarry Glen Ross, which segues naturally into a discussion of the many aspects of motivation.
Carrots, sticks, bonuses, fear, status, and just growing up all shape our understanding of why we (and, yeah, others) do what we do.
What happens when our motivation starts better accounting for how other people are motivated?
Get them to sign on the line which is dotted.
Links for this episode:
A B2W HeroesCon Greeting on Vimeo
Dan Benjamin and Merlin Mann host a well-known (comics) podcast called "Back To Work". They couldn't be at HeroesCon 2014, so we put together a nice greeting, featuring a few favorite comics creators.
Guest Post: Breaking The Low Mood Cycle | Captain Awkward
"Thoughts influence behavior, which influences outcome, which in turn feeds back into your thoughts."
[[via](https://twitter.com/tiff_frye/status/483644723425329152)]
5by5 | 5by5 at the Movies #3: Glengarry Glen Ross
Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin talk about Glengarry Glen Ross live at 1pm ET on Thursday, July 3, 2014.
Join us!
The Aviator (2004) - IMDb
The Aviator (2004 film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Big Lebowski (1998) - IMDb
The Big Lebowski - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) - IMDb
Glengarry Glen Ross (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cinephilia and Beyond • These precious commentaries were on the Pioneer...
Don't miss Jack Lemmon's **fantastic** commentary track for _Glengarry Glen Ross_.
How Charles Schwab Got His Workers To Produce More Steel - Business Insider
Best Ways to Pay Your Sales Staff - Businessweek
5by5 | 5by5 at the Movies #1: Goodfellas
Dan Benjamin and John Siracusa discuss Goodfellas.
This week's episode of Back to Work is kindly sponsored by:
Harry's ($5 off your purchase with discount code, "COMICS")
Lynda.com (7-day free trial!)
1 hr 21 min
June 24, 2014Episode 176: "ENJOY YOUR MEAL"
TOPIC: (Not) Solving People Problems With Technology.
This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the challenge of finding business workflows that…actually work. And, what happens if you try to fix a "people problem" with a technical solution.
Also, detailed discussion on Wolverine's healing factor, gruesome hand-shaving, Florida's giant grasshoppers, dangerous bourbon foil, and varieties of elves.
Come to Ungainly X-Mann Meetup #4
PSA: Hey, if you live in the Bay Area and you like comics and/or Merlin, please come out to Two Cats Comics on Thursday night and hang out with Merlin. [more »]
Links for this episode:
Ungainly X-Mann Meetup #4 — Merlin Mann
MERLIN MANN (Back to Work, Roderick on the Line, You Look Nice Today, et al.) invites you to drop by Two Cats Comics on the evening of Thursday, June 26th to hang out, talk about comics, and just say, “Hi.”
Is West Portal the ‘new Noe’? - On The Block
5by5 | The News
WBP SYSTEMS / Heap CRM / Keep all your information together, with the Small Business CRM / Messages, Contact Manager, Address Book, Calendars, Automation and Tasks
Marketcircle | Daylite | Overview
Highrise: Small Business CRM, Web-Based Contact Manager
Online Form Builder with Cloud Storage Database | Wufoo
X-Men (2000) - Quotes - IMDb
ROGUE: When they come out...does it hurt?
WOLVERINE: Every time.
Wolverine (comics) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"While the adamantium in his body stops or reduces many injuries, his healing factor must also work constantly to prevent metal poisoning from killing him."
Romalea guttata - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
It can reach nearly 3 inches (8 cm) in size.
The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí (Dover Fine Art, History of Art): Salvador Dali: 9780486274546: Amazon.com: Books
The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"enjoy your meal" - YouTube
Jodorowsky's Dune - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jodorowsky's Dune (2014) - HD Trailer - YouTube
Flammable vs. inflammable - Grammarist
Josh Centers (jcenters) on Twitter
The Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, FL
Eggs on the Plate without the Plate
Showbot
This week's episode of Back to Work is kindly sponsored by:
PDFpen Scan+ by Smile
Lynda.com (7-day free trial!)
1 hr 16 min
June 10, 2014Episode 175: Andy is the Stuff of Nightmares
TOPIC: "Creativity" where you din't expect it.
This week, Dan and Merlin talk about PIXAR, creativity, and FoldingText before finally succumbing to the treachery of Skype.
Links for this episode:
FoldingText — Plain text productivity for Mac users
For Mac users who love plain text. FoldingText is the markdown text editor with productivity features. Unlike other editors, FoldingText does outlining, todo lists, and more.
5by5 | The Incomparable #197: Fail Fast
We love Pixar, and we're a bunch of creative professional types. So as you can imagine, we devoured "Creativity Inc.", by Pixar president Ed Catmull. Is it a business book or an anti-business book? How do you foster creativity? Is Pixar's formula one that provides safety while preventing works of staggering genius? How much is a director or writer the author of a Pixar movie, and how much is the studio itself? And is the wild success of "Frozen" proof of anything?Panelists John Siracusa, Glenn Fleishman, Lisa Schmeiser, and David J. Loehr.
Pet Pig Saves Family From Fire - NBC News.com
[via doktorbuzzo](https://twitter.com/doktorbuzzo/status/476268511526801408)
Why a Publix-Whole Foods deal makes sense - and why it doesn't - Austin Business Journal
It seems like a foodies’ dream, too delicious to ignore: Publix, Florida’s No. 1 supermarket chain, considering a purchase of Whole Foods, the upscale grocer known for organic products.
Ed Catmull, Pixar: Keep Your Crises Small - YouTube
5by5 WWDC 2014 Party - YouTube
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration: Ed Catmull, Amy Wallace: 9780812993011: Amazon.com: Books
This week's episode of Back to Work is kindly sponsored by:
Lynda.com (7-day free trial!)
Squarespace (10% off with offer code, "TURNSOUT")
51 min
June 05, 2014Episode 174: I Dont Deal in Abstractions
TOPIC: Dan & Merlin in Fancy San Francisco
This week, Dan and Merlin visit across a table in a darkened room to talk about WWDC, San Francisco's lesser-known features, and how to spend less time bogged down in day-to-day junk.
Links for this episode:
Episode 20: Self Doubt with Merlin Mann — The Nudge
Cotton Bureau – Sportsball by Jory Raphael
Celebrate your love of sportsball with this officially sanctioned National Sportsball Association League shirt. Just in time for the Super World Bowl Series Championships.
5by5 WWDC 2014 Party - YouTube
This week's episode of Back to Work is kindly sponsored by:
Squarespace (10% off with offer code, "ITSYOURSHOW") - Squarespace is the easiest way for anyone to create an exceptional website.
BusyCal - Powerful time-saving calendar features in a friendly, easy-to-use package.
57 min

About Back to Work

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Back to Work is an award winning talk show with Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discussing productivity, communication, work, barriers, constraints, tools, and more.